Readings: Jeremiah 17:5-8; Psalm 1: 1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20; Luke 6:17, 20-26
Grace and peace to you my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord.
The Gospel of today is the account of St. Luke on the series of teachings of Jesus known as the Sermon on the Mount.
As I read the Gospel, two things immediately caught my attention.
A. Luke made a distinction between the disciples (the Greek is Mathētōn) and a great crowd of people (Tou laou). A disciple is one who is committed and has made a decision for the Lord. A follower just follows. There is no commitment and they can unfollow at any time. Many Christians today are mere followers – the question is “Am I a disciple of Jesus or a follower?”
B. In the beatitudes, a blessing is pronounced on the poor, the hungry, the sorrowful, and the underprivileged. Jesus is saying to us through this that those who are disadvantaged in this world, those who people call unfortunate or underprivileged in this world, have a special place in God’s kingdom. Many people who are actually unloved or unappreciated in this world because of their condition, will be granted honour in heaven – think of Lazarus and the rich man for instance.
Having said this, today, I want to focus on the first beatitude. Let us reflect on “how happy are you who are poor…”
St. Matthew clarifies that Jesus isn’t just talking about those who are struggling financially; otherwise most of us would be happy, wouldn’t we? He describes the poor here as those who are poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3).
What does it mean to be poor in spirit? I will reflect on five indications of being poor in spirit.
A. The poor in spirit are those who recognise the utter greatness of God and acknowledge their nothingness and unworthiness before Him. They are those who humble themselves before God and approach Him with humility, relying on mercy and not merit. A good example is the tax collector in the parable of Jesus in Luke 18:9-14.
B. The poor in spirit are those who are truly humble in spirit. They are those who do not boast about themselves to others or call attention to themselves. They truly give glory to God in everything and never sing their own praises. John the Baptist is a good example I can immediately think of here.
C. The poor in spirit are those who live a life of simplicity. They are not materialistic, greedy, extravagant or covetous. Their joy is not based on what they have and they are not possessed by their possessions. They have a spirit of detachment and contentment. They do not place any more value on the things of the world than they deserve (Read Philippians 3:7-8).
D. The poor in spirit are those who care about the poor. They genuinely see Christ in the poor and support and truly love those who are poor. In spirit, they are poor with the poor; they are friends with the friends of Jesus. This is the glory of many Saints – think of St. Vincent De Paul, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Teresa of Calcutta, amongst countless others.
E. The poor in spirit are those who do not allow things to weigh on their spirit. They trust in God and have entrusted their lives to Him. This is the message of the First Reading of today, the Psalm and even the Second Reading. These are the poor who do not spend time worrying or complaining about their lives, their future or people’s malice. They trust God with their lives and whatever happens to them, they feel safe with Him. St. Paul is a good example here (Read 2 Timothy 1:12).
Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is theirs.” Note that unlike the other beatitudes, this is not a future promise; it is something already present. God lives in them and heaven is in them, even before they are in heaven. They shall experience the atmosphere of heaven in them even whilst here on earth.
Let us pray today for true poverty of spirit and an experience of heaven even while on earth.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on February 13, 2022